06 September 2010

The Iraqi army will require American support for another decade before it is ready to handle the country's security on its own, Iraq's army chief of staff told AFP on Wednesday.Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari said Iraq's politicians had to find a way to "fill the void" after American troops withdraw from the country at the end of next year under a bilateral security pact."At this point, the withdrawal (of US forces) is going well, because they are still here," Zebari said."But the problem will start after 2011; the politicians must find other ways to fill the void after 2011, because the army will be fully ready in 2020."If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: the US army must stay until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020."

Asked about the Iraqi commander’s remarks, Maj. Gen. Terry Wolff, the commander of American forces in central Iraq, said earlier this week that while he did not see General Babaker routinely, “he has been fairly consistent with that statement. This is not the first time that he has said it. He has been saying it since 2007.”